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Show SEXUAL , ELEC'l'ION. l'Am· Jl. . tl They arc only temporarily developed during smoo 1• G h t tl at th ~y the breodinO'-srason; and Dr. iint er.suspec s 1 c are brou~ht into action as prehensile orga~s by tho uonulin<r inwards and downwards of the two sides of the l>ody. It is a remarkable fact ~bat .the females and n~~ 1 l f Orne pecies u.s of Rata clavata, have thou t 10 ma es o ' . 1 backs studded with large hook-formed spt~P-s. . . Owing to tho element wb~eh fishes mhablt, httlo · k bo,.1t their conrtslup and not much about 1~ nown a c ' • 1 · b ttl 'Il1e male stickleback (Gasferosteus let- t 1ell' a es. c • • , t£r~bs) has been described u.s "macl w1th clel1ght when the female comes out of her hiding-place and surveys th nest which he has ma.de for her.. " He darts round " her in every direction, then to lns. ac~umub . ted mat : terials for the nest, then back agam 111 an mstant; " an(l as she does not advance he endeavours to pu ·h " her with his snout, and then tries to pull her by tl~c ,, tail and side-spine to the nest." 2 The males arc smd to be I)olyo·amists .:J they are extraorclinarHy bold ancl b ' • .f " pugnacious, whilst "the females are qmte paCI tc:. 'fheir battles are at times desperate; "for these puny " combatants fasten tight on each other for .seven~l " seconds tumblin()' over and over again, unt1l then· • ' 0 ': . trength appear. completely exhausted ." w·1 t h ~ h o rough-tailed stickleback (G. tmchurus) the ma~~s wh1lst fiO'htinO' swim round and ronnel each other, lntmg and e~cleav~uring to pierce each other with their raised lat.cral spines. The same writer adds/ "the bite of the~c httlr 1 Ynrrcll's 'Hist. of British l~ishcs,' vol. ii. 1836, p. 417, 425, 4:JG. Dr. GUnther informs me that tho spines in R. clatala are pcculior to the fcmnle. 2 See l\ir. R Warington's interesting articles in' Annals and 1\Ing. of Nat. Hist.' Oct. 1852 and Nov. 18:35. a Noel Humphreys, 'Hiver Gardens,' 1857. ·• Lotulon's 'Mag. of Natural History,' vol. iil. 1830, p. 331. CHAP. XII. FISHES. "furies is very severe. They also use their lateral spines " with such frttal effect, that I have seen one clurinO' a " battle absolutely rip his opponent quite open, so that " he sank to the bottom and died." When a. fbh is conquered, " his gallant bearing forsakes him; hi, gay " colours fade away; and he l1ides his clis(')'race amono· " his peaceable companions, but is for so~ne time th~ " constant object of his conqueror's persecution." Tho male salmon is as pugnacious as the little stickleback; and so is the male trout, as I l1ear from Dr. Giinther. 1\fr. Shaw saw a violent contest between two male salmons which la~ted the whole clay; and 1\Tr. R. Buist, Superintendent of Fisheries, informs me that he has often watched from the bridge at Perth the m~les driving away their rivals whilst tho females were spawning. 'l'he males ''are constantly fighting aucl tearing :: each other on tho spawning-beds, and many so injme " ea?h other as .to c~uso the death of nnm bers, many bemg seen sw1mmmg nP.ar the ba11ks of the river in " a state of exhaustion, and apparently in a dying state." 5 The keeper of the Stormont:field breedilwponds visited, as Mr. Buist informs me, in Juno, 1 6S, the northern Tyue, aml found about 300 deatl salmon all of which with one exception "·ere males; and he "·a; convinced that they had lost their lives by fio·htinO'. Tl t . . 0 0 1e mos curwus pomt about the male salmon is ~hat during the breeding-season, besides a slio·ht chan(')'e ~,n col.our: " the lower jaw elongates, and a ca~·tilagino~s " prOJ~Ctwn turns upwards f1~om the point, which, when the Jaws are closed, occupies a deep cavity between ~ ~ 'l'hc Field,'. June 29th, 1867. FoF Mr. Shaw's statement sec 'Edmburgh RcvJCw,' 1843. Another experienced ob.erver (Scr~pc's 'Days of So.I~on Fishing,' p. GO) remarks that the mnle would, if he could, keep, hkc the stug, all other males nway. B 2 |